Safety Brandon McGowan signed the one-year tender the Bears made him as a restricted free agent.
McGowan will earn $1.417 million this season as the team tendered him at the mid-level because of how they felt about his play at the end of last season and the lack of depth the Bears have at the position.
McGowan made nine starts, including the final four at strong safety, and was second only to middle linebacker Brian Urlacher in tackles during that span. McGowan is expected to compete for a starting position, something that will no doubt be impacted by what happens with veteran Mike Brown, who is returning from a torn ACL and his third serious injury in four seasons.
Wide receiver Rashied Davis has yet to sign his offer sheet. Davis was tendered at the low level for $927,000. The deadline for another team to sign him to an offer sheet is April 18. Because Davis was not drafted by the Bears, they would receive no compensation for him if another team signed him and they declined to match the offer. Because McGowan was tendered for $1.417 million, a team would have had to surrender a second-round draft pick for signing him away, something that just wasnt going to happen.
